SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Seminole County is moving forward with plans to build a major indoor sports complex — a facility officials say could generate $2.4 billion in economic impact. News 6 has been following the project and how the county plans to pay for part of it with revenue from the new tourism improvement district fee. But at least one family-owned hotel says the assessment is projected to cost them thousands of dollars a year — and they’re nowhere near where the facility will be built.
Sports tourism: Seminole County’s economic engine
Unlike neighboring Orange and Osceola counties, which benefit heavily from theme parks and convention center traffic, Seminole County relies on sports tourism as a primary driver of visitor spending.
In 2024, approximately 2.2 million visitors came to Seminole County. According to county officials, research shows visitors to sports facilities are 78% more likely to book a hotel room than any other type of visitor in the county — making sports tourism a direct pipeline to hotel revenue.
But the county’s current sports infrastructure has a significant gap. All six complexes the county currently runs are outdoors, so without an indoor facility there are limited options to bring in new tournaments and events in the coming years.
The project: A multi-sport destination near the Boombah Sports Complex & airport
The proposed indoor sports complex would be located at the Moore Station Fields, just around the corner from the existing Boombah Sports Complex on Lake Mary Boulevard.
The complex would include 12 basketball courts — one serving as a championship court with 2,500 seats — 22 volleyball courts, a 25-court beach volleyball complex, and flexible multipurpose spaces capable of hosting up to 7,500 guests for graduation ceremonies.
The total estimated cost ranges from $160 million to $175 million.
Funding the complex: Hotels carry a significant share
The county is proposing a $175 million total investment split between two sources: $110 million from the county and $65 million from area hotels, funded through a Tourism Improvement District assessment and Tourist Development Tax revenue.
That hotel funding mechanism is drawing scrutiny from some independent operators.
Small hotel pushes back on assessment structure
John Doan, the manager of the Days Inn Fern Park, located at 8245 South U.S. Highway 1792, told commissioners directly about the family-run hotel’s concerns about how the current Tourism Improvement District assessment is structured.
“We support responsible tourism growth and economic development in Seminole County,” Doan said. “We understand the vision behind investing in sports tourism and future projects.”
However, Doan said the assessment model creates an unequal burden for smaller, independent hotels.
Last year, the county created the Tourism Improvement District (TID) which generates revenue from a $1.75 nightly per room fee for hotels with 60 or more rooms. They estimate it will generate $3.2 million annually.
Doan says the assessment charges $1.75 per night, per room available for occupancy — regardless of whether those rooms are actually occupied or generating any revenue. With 75 total rooms, Doan said his hotel is projected to pay nearly $48,000 per year based on total room inventory alone.
“That equals to nearly $4,000 per month in additional costs for a small independent hotel already struggling with rising operational expenses,” he said.
Doan shared two years of occupancy data to illustrate the impact. In 2025, the hotel recorded approximately 10,923 occupied room nights out of roughly 27,000 available — an occupancy rate of about 40%. In 2024, the hotel had approximately 11,000 occupied rooms out of roughly 27,450 available, reflecting a similar 40–41% occupancy rate.
“That means nearly 60% of our rooms remained vacant throughout much of the year,” Don said. “Despite that reality, our hotel is still being assessed based largely on total room inventory rather than actual occupancy performance or revenue generation.”
Doan also raised concerns about where his hotel is located close to the Seminole-Orange county border — approximately 15 miles from where the proposed indoor complex would be built.
“Hotels located directly near those venues are much more likely to benefit from the tourism traffic,” Doan said. “Our hotel, located near the outer edge of the district, will likely only receive limited overflow, if any at all.”
Doan said his hotel is not asking to avoid contributing to the community — only asking for a more equitable framework.
“We are simply asking for a fair and balanced approach,” he said.
Representatives from many other hotels have spoken in favor of the fee because they believe the new indoor sports facility will solve the projected visitor plateau in the coming years. The Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association is among the project’s strongest supporters.
“The hospitality industry has long recognized the limitations posed by the current lack of an indoor sports facility, which has constrained our ability to attract tournaments and related events to the area,” the association’s Director of Industry Relations and Community Impact Melanie Anesh told commissioners this month. “This proposed complex is a significant opportunity to elevate Seminole County’s competitiveness as a premier destination for sports tourism.”
Anesh also pointed to the facility’s potential value beyond athletics — noting it would give residents a central location for graduations, youth sports competitions, and recreational leagues.
“By enabling year-round events, the facility would also help support small businesses, local hotels, and restaurants, particularly during traditionally slower demand periods,” she said.
What the county projects for the complex
County projections, prepared by consulting firm Hunden Partners, paint an optimistic picture for the complex’s long-term impact.
By year 5, the indoor facility is expected to host 63 events annually — including 18 basketball tournaments, 22 volleyball tournaments, 8 pickleball events, 4 graduations, and various banquets and special events — generating more than 126 event days per year.
The complex is projected to attract approximately 322,000 indoor event attendees annually, generate roughly 42,000 hotel room nights, and support 562 new jobs.
Over 30 years, the project is expected to generate approximately $1.37 billion in direct net new spending and $2.19 billion in total direct, indirect, and induced economic impact from the indoor complex alone. Beach volleyball adds an additional projected $173 million in total spending over the same period, bringing the combined total projected benefit to approximately $2.4 billion.
The indoor complex is not projected to operate at a profit in its early years. According to the projections from the county’s consultant, the facility is expected to post a net operating loss of $225,000 in the first year, narrow to a loss of $79,000 by the third year, and then start turning a profit of $34,000 by the fourth year. By the fifth year, net operating income is projected to reach $137,000.
At a meeting on May 12, the Board directed county staff to move forward with the next steps, including the solicitation of architectural, engineering, and construction management services.